Things I Could Never Tell My Mother

The mother of filmmaker Humaira Bilkis used to be an independent-minded woman who defied Bengalese conventions, keeping her own name rather than taking her husband’s. She even wrote freethinking poetry. But following a pilgrimage to Mecca she became a devoutly religious Muslim and is now constantly quoting from the Quran. The atmosphere at home is still pleasant, however, thanks to her love for her husband and children.

After completing her studies at the film academy in India, Humaira Bilkis temporarily returns to Bangladesh to live with her parents. Free-spirited and secular, she is very different from her mother. In this debut film, she draws on old photographs and her mother’s poetry in her search for what connects them, hoping to restore their bond. Her secret relationship with a non-Muslim man is a complicating factor.

That family ties can cause friction is well known. However, they can also bridge the gap between the desire for freedom and religious zeal.